Hey guys, sorry for not writing in awhile. Life's just been, well, never mind about my life. I'm sorry and I'll try to be better. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'm going to start with some fluffy goodness, then get to the story :)
J.C Posch
xXx
*The deep of James Logan's subconscious*
Logan dragged himself into his bedroom and dropped his old army pack on the floor. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, fighting fatigue. He had just come back from a week long trip to Canada where he was assisting Alpha Flight track down a terrorist group in the Yukon. He looked up in surprise when a light clicked on.
"'Ro? What are you still doing up?" Logan asked. "Its three in the morning."
Ororo sat up in the bed she shared with her feral husband, trying to suppress a smile.
"Is it wrong that I wanted to be awake to greet you? I haven't seen you in a week." She replied.
Logan frowned. He knew 'Ro better than anyone, so he knew she was using her 'poker voice'.
"Not wrong, just crazy." He replied, entering the washroom to wash his face.
"I have a surprise."
"Do you?"
"Yup."
Logan turned to look at his wife through the bedroom door and gave her a smile. "And what would that surprise be?"
"Imagine the best possible thing in the world, then multiply it by a hundred." Ororo smiled secretively.
"Hmmm, you finally going to let me keep a mini fridge full of beer in the bedroom?" Logan asked. He quickly dodged the pillow whipped at his head and laughed. "I don't know 'Ro, you have to tell me."
Ororo's eyes shone when she said in a quiet voice, "You're going to be a dad."
Logan stared, his mouth open. He tried to form words, but they came out as incoherent. Then his eyes rolled back and he fell to the floor.
"Logan?" Storm hurried to her husband's side. She knelt over him and placed a cool hand on his cheek. "Honey!"
For a moment, she was very scared. She had always loved children and wanted to be a mom. She knew Logan was good with children and liked them, despite his charade of being irritated by them. They had been trying for months to get pregnant, but what if it had all been an act to humour her? What if Logan had faked disappointment whenever they found out they were once again unsuccessful, and really didn't want children?
Logan groaned, stirring. Storm looked down on him intensely. "Logan?"
Logan's eyelids flew up, revealing his crystal blue eyes. He quickly sat up, his hand on 'Ro's shoulder.
"You're-"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"Yes…"
Logan let out a joyful whoop and stood up. He then took his weather witch into his arms and spun her around. For the next ten minutes they just held each other, Logan whispering how much he loved her and stroking her hair. Finally they laid back onto the bed. Logan tenderly kissed her still flat stomach.
"I don't care if it's a boy or a girl," Logan said, drawing loops on 'Ro's stomach. "I'm naming the kid Earl."
"You will not!"
"What about Gertrude?"
"Logan!"
Logan laughed and kissed Storm's soft cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too."
After a few moments of holding each other in peace, Ororo let out a laugh. When Logan looked at her inquiringly, she continued to snort.
"I can't believe you fainted!"
xXx
By seven, we were ready to go. I was hoping that everyone would wake up before Eric so we could sneak away without him, but I had no such luck. He was awake at six making everyone eggs and coffee. Rogue and Kitty were surprised to see him, but happy. They saw him as this great future X-man while I just saw a pigheaded little boy who'd just get in our way.
Peter swung me ahead to the small, slightly sketchy, hanger on the outskirts of the city to make the arrangements to rent a small plane. They were dubious about letting a teenager fly one of their planes until we showed them the money. I was in the pilot's seat, doing a last minute check of the systems when Eric leaned over my seat. I tried to ignore his intoxicating scent and forced myself not to look at him.
"You'd better not be planning on standing there the whole flight." I said coolly.
"Nope, I'm riding shotgun." Eric replied, taking the seat next to me. "Since when did you learn how to fly a plane?"
"I took lessons." I answered, starting the engine.
"Really? Did your dad teach you?" Eric asked, sounding sincerely interested.
I frowned. He was trying to play it off like we didn't have a fight last night, that we were fine and I wasn't mad at him. I guess I could take the higher route and just make up with him, but I was still too mad to let go. He can't just treat me like I'm second class because I'm human.
I stole a glance at him. He was humming 'Call Me Maybe' softly and watching the clouds out the window. His calm, friendly attitude made me desperately want to forgive him. Sensing my eyes on him, Eric looked over and grinned, his smile saying 'I knew you couldn't stay mad'. I glared and quickly turned my attention back to the sky.
Nope, still too mad.
Suddenly there was a scream followed by a commotion. Eric jumped up and left the cockpit to see what was wrong, but I was stuck flying the plane so I could not go.
"Guys? What's going on?"
The cockpit door was then kicked open, to reveal a black and red clad figure holding one arm around Kitty and using the other to stick a gun to her head. I felt my heart drop the moment I realized who it was.
"Not you. Anyone but you!"
"You know, it's funny how often I get that." Deadpool commented, momentarily removing the gun from Kitty to use it to scratch his temple.
"How the Hell did you get on here?" I gaped.
Kitty glared at me, clearly not happy with me asking questions when she was being held hostage.
"Um, hello? I'm special?" Deadpool answered. "Any-woo, I need your plane."
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
"Get your own!"
"Are we going to have to do this the hard way? Oh, like you even know what the hard way is. Have we ever stolen a plane from teenagers before? You really think its like taking candy from babies? You know babies creep me out." Deadpool rambled on.
I looked over at Peter for an explanation.
"Deadpool has voices in his head that he argues with."
"Well that's just great." I sighed, rolling my eyes. Dad was right, Deadpool is the most annoying person on the planet.
"Wait, what was I saying?" Deadpool came back from his private conversation. "Oh right, gimme the plane."
"I already said no!"
"Com'on! I have your friend hostage!"
"Yeah, thank you for at least one person remembering that I'm here." Kitty grumbled.
"Either hand over the plane nicely, or we're all going to be picking brain out of our hair tonight." Deadpool said. "This is as nicely as I'm asking. And you should know, I only ask when there's pretty teenage girls involved."
"Give it up Wade, you're not getting our plane." Spiderman said.
"Dude, you're not a pretty teenage girl, so you should not even be talking right now." Deadpool warned.
Rogue came up behind him, removing her glove. I shook my head slightly, just enough for her to see and stop. We didn't need a crazy man's mind floating around Rogue's head. And who knows if we could ever get him out again.
I had a different idea.
I motioned ever so slightly with my right hand, making a rocker signal. Also conveniently the gesture Spiderman makes when he's flinging a web. After making sure he saw my sign by making eye contact, I nodded my head towards Kitty.
"Dive Kitty, Dive!" I yelled, driving the plane into a nose dive.
"WHAT?" Kitty shrieked, but she got the message enough when Spiderman webbed her ankles.
Deadpool could only utter one very rude word before Kitty phased them both out of the plane.
"Pull her back up!" I ordered, maneuvering the plane to make their job easier. Eric leapt up to help Peter haul a windswept and frayed looking Kitty back into the plane.
Kitty was taking heaving breaths when she looked up to meet my eyes.
"Took you guys long enough!"
xXx
That night when we stopped to rest and plan, I was exhausted. I curled up and watched the campfire burn, keeping to myself while the others talked. I closed my eyes against the smoke when the wind switched directions, but when I opened them, a large gray rabbit sat in front of me on his hind legs. His nose twitched adorably.
"Aw, a rabbit!" Kitty gushed, coming up behind me. "Don't you just want to pick him up and pet him?"
"I don't think wild rabbits would like a person doing that." I commented.
The rabbit inched closer to me, his ears down.
"I think this one is different. Why don't you try petting him?" Kitty suggested.
"Hmm, maybe I will." I said. The rabbit perked its ears up and hopped closer to me eagerly. "Or maybe I'll skin and clean him, then roast him over the fire."
The rabbit stopped right in his tracks.
Kitty sighed and slapped her hand to her forehead. "What gave him away?"
"You mean other than the obvious?" I glared at Eric in his bunny form. "Beat it Thumper, you're bothering me."
Kitty came over and sat beside me while Eric slumped away.
"Why are you being so hard on him?" Kitty asked softly.
"I just-I don't know." I sighed. "I just want him to know that he can't just abandon me when I really need him, tell me I'm useless because I'm not a mutant, and then just pretend everything is fine. Its- its not okay."
Kitty sighed and stood up. "Alright, whatever. Just make sure to make up with him before its too late, okay? Anyone can see you two need each other."
She was gone before I could argue. Instead I went back to staring at the fire.
xXx
"Yah know, for calling yo'selves 'Earth's mightiest heroes', yah kind of suck." Gambit commented, lighting up a cigarette.
Scott quickly snatched the smoke out of his teammate's mouth and crushed it out. "Don't start anything."
The Avengers glared across the table at the X-men. Captain America, Hawkeye, and Tigra had could to discuss the missing mutant students and Wolverine's daughter.
"Remy jus' say'n, how can yah all have let dem give you the slip? Dey just a bunch a teens." Gambit snickered.
"Well, you were the ones who let them sneak out of your weird little school in the first place! And they stole one of your cars, so I wouldn't be talking, Cajun Boy." Hawkeye growled.
"Hey now, wait a sec-"
"Stop it Gambit. The Avengers are here to help." Jean said in a serious tone. Clearly reading Barton's thoughts, she turned and smiled at him. The man liked redheads, a lot. If a little flirting with him could keep the situation from escalating to a point where the two teams would cause a brawl, she'd do it.
"Now let's figure out a plan."
"You said you tracked down the girls?" Captain America asked, leaning foreward.
"Yes. Well, not exactly." Jean admitted. "Using Cerebro we know where they are currently located but they are on the move.
"Can't you read their minds with Cerebro? Find out where they're heading?" Tigra asked.
If we were to use Cerebro in that way, we'd risk causing the girls brain damage, or at least serious pain." Scott answered.
"Great, just use it to read the Webhead's brain then." Clint yawned, leaning back in his chair and resting his feet on the table. "The guy is already brain dead and a little headache might teach him to smarten up."
Steve Rogers pushed Clint's boots off of the glass table. "You don't know what you're saying."
"Ah, come on Cap! The guy ran off with those girls on a suicide mission without telling us!"
"What Spiderman did was…unwise, but his intentions were good. He knew he couldn't convince the girls to stop, so he went with them to protect them." Steve said calmly. "I might have done the same thing at his age."
"So what are we-"
Ironman entered the room with Beast.
"Pardon the interruption, but I think you'd all like to see this." Beast said.
Ironman pressed a button on his helmet and a fuzzy image appeared on the wall. Slowly it became clearer.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" A sweet, high voice asked.
"Kitty!" Jean gasped as the Shadowcat's image became clear.
"Oh dis is not good." Remy sighed, placing his head on the table.
"Oh good, it worked! Sapien! Come here, I got it!" Kitty called, moving away from the camera. Leah Logan came to sit in her place.
"Hello." Leah said nervously, running her hand through her salt and pepper hair.
"How on earth did you break through Ironman's defences to do this?" Tigra asked, clearly as shocked as the rest of the superheroes.
"Um, I don't know. It was all Kitty's doing." Leah admitted.
"Fascinating. Kitty, were you using the Hagermien method or-" Hank began to ask but Scott interrupted.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU GIRLS THINK YOU'RE DOING?" He yelled, losing his composed mask.
"Whoa, hey now, cool your jets buddy." Leah said, putting her hands up in defence. "We found my parents."
xXx